Betrayal- One Shot
by ShandyCandy278
Summary: "Make a choice, my son." Hawk Moth said in a low, slightly threatening voice. "And be sure to choose wisely." Rated T for Violence and blood. Ladrien mostly...? Not sure. Final Battle.


"You will give me your Miraculous!"

"Never!" Chat Noir exclaimed, baton in hand as he charged at Hawk Moth- baton clashing with his cane. Chat Noir glared up at Hawk Moth, teeth bared and a growl tearing through his throat. They fought with brute strength, back and forth until Hawk Moth managed to push Chat Noir over.

Just before Chat Noir could fall onto the ground beneath his feet, Hawk Moth grabbed his arm and yanked it, dislocating it as he grabbed the ring.

With wide eyes, Chat Noir detransformed into Adrien Agreste.

Hawk Moth didn't spare him a glance wile he threw the powerless superhero behind him, smiling greedily at the ring in his hand.

"Chat Noir, No!" Ladybug screamed, but a soft gasp escaped her lips only moments later. Adrien didn't know what she looked like right then, his face twisted in pain as he held onto his right arm.

"At long last, the black cat Miraculous." Hawk Moth laughed, unsheathing the sword hidden in his cane, pointing it at Adrien as he turned around, still looking down with murderous glee.

"Now, to kill you off- to be sure that no more pests get in the way of my plan."

Adrien coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth as he struggled to get up. He could feel the dried blood from his injury earlier crack as his face moved to hiss in response to the pain of his dislocated arm, blood from a new cut trailing down his nose. The metallic taste only made Adrien cringe, biting his lip in an attempt to sooth the pain.

A soft, metal clatter, and Adrien looked up with defiant eyes as he took in the image of Hawk Moth.

The Supervillian was more powerful than they had expected, but that didn't mean that they'd lose or give up. His hold on his cane was loose, the steely blue/grey eyes wide in shock. Adrien's ring was on the floor by the man's feet, forgotten.

Adrien tore his gaze away to look at his lady, who was frozen in complete and utter mortification. He motioned with his eyes to do _something_ before turning his attention back to Hawk Moth.

He was pretty sure Ladybug would eventually understand, when the shock left, but until then, he had to distract Hawkmoth.

They would talk about his identity later.

"What're you waiting for?" Adrien spat, his voice still hoarse from shouting to Ladybug as they battled their way here. "Go ahead. Kill me and fulfill your idiotic evil plot, you monster. I know you need a sacrifice- you even told us you were planning on using one of us, so go ahead."

The eye contact between the two never ceased.

Green eyes full of defiance and a will to fight.

Steely blue/grey eyes full of shock and horror.

"A… Adrien…?" Hawk Moth asked in disbelief. Adrien's glare only hardened, fueled by his confusion for the man's actions.

Hawk Moth had been so sure before, but now…

It looked like the world was falling beneath his feet.

Speaking of feet…

Adrien moved to grab the silver ring on the floor, surprised when Hawkmoth didn't stop him.

Consequence of not killing him when he had the chance.

But before he could say the magic words or check up on Plagg, Hawk Moth growled and turned to face Ladybug, pointing his sword at her. "You! How dare you do this!"

Ladybug blinked, just as confused as Adrien felt. But she shifted, throwing her yoyo up and into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" And into her hands fell a red, black spotted sword sheath. Hawk Moth growled.

"This is your fault! How dare you stand between us! Me and my love, me and my own son?! How dare you trick me into hurting him, Ladybug! You will pay!" Hawk Moth launched toward Ladybug, who squeaked a bit before using the sheath to block the incoming attack.

"Plagg? Plagg, are you okay?"

"No, I need cheese, kid." Plagg groaned, laying tiredly on the floor.

"But I have to do something!" Plagg weakly gave him a helpless look before fainting in Adrien's hands. Adrien gently placed the kwami in his normal pocket inside of his jacket.

"How dare you fill my son's head with lies! How dare you brainwash him to be by your side! How dare you lie to him, tell him that I am the bad guy! I know what's best for my son, and you waltz in like that bad-influence of a friend and put him against me!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Ladybug grunted as she pushed back against his sword. "But I do know that you are in the wrong, Hawk Moth! You want to bring your wife back to life?! This isn't the way to do it- it shouldn't be done anyway! Whoever she is, would she appreciate that you put so many people at risk just trying to get her back?!"

"I only wanted what was best for him!" Hawk Moth shouted. "You don't know me, Ladybug. You don't know what it's like- knowing you could do more for him, but always ending up as the worst father in the world! With his mother back, I can finally look him in the eye without feeling guilty for her death! I will bring his mother back! And you… won't… stop me!" Hawk Moth's strength eventually won, forcing Ladybug to fall down and then roll off to the side to avoid his next blow.

As they continued to fight, Adrien struggled to stand up, his vision dizzying as he not only moved, but processed the information that Hawk Moth was giving about his personal life.

A life, that sounded suspiciously like the relationship between him…

And his father.

Suddenly, things started clicking into place. Clues that he had connected before when they fought Collector were suddenly becoming the pieces to an even larger puzzle.

Beeps echoed through the air, and that's when Adrien realized that not only was his lady trapped between a wall and Hawk Moth, but she was about to detransform.

Ignoring his throbbing body, he rushed forward and placed himself between Ladybug and his father, left arm up in the air as a pink light shinned from behind him. Hawk Moth faltered, and then sneered.

" _Marinette Dupain-Cheng."_ He said, voice full of hatred and loathing.

Adrien.

Couldn't.

 _Breath_.

"You had the skills- the talent to be one of the best. Now that I know that _you_ were the one stopping me from happiness, I assure you that you will be _nothing_ but the dirt of the earth. I knew I should've withheld Adrien from school."

"Wait… Y-You're-"

"That's right." Hawk Moth let out a laugh- a bone chilling laugh.

" _I'm Gabriel Agreste."_

They continued to argue with each other, but Adrien couldn't see, couldn't feel, couldn't hear.

 _Marinette fought beside him._

 _Father fought against him._

 _Ladybug stuttered and tripped over herself around him._

 _Hawk Moth never approved of him._

 _Gabriel was trying to resurrect his mother._

 _Marinette was the one who held and comforted him on the rooftops._

 _Hawk Moth only wanted the best for him._

 _Ladybug sent him soothing words of comfort._

 _Ladybug really did know him._

 _Hawk Moth never let him do anything._

 _Marinette was accusing, stubborn, and rash._

 _Gabriel terrorized Paris._

"Adrien."

Adrien blinked, looking up into the steely blue/grey eyes of his father. Hawk Moth held a hand out to him.

"My son. Join me. We can get your mother back! Don't you want her to be with us? We could be a family again."

"No!" Arms wrapped around his center, though he was still confused, and it hurt, but those arms were the same arms that comforted him in times of need.

"Adrien! Please, don't! It's okay to want your mother back, and this might be the only way to do it, but it's the wrong way! For every wish the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous make, there's a consequence! If you get rich, someone will go into poverty. If you want to be able to have super strength, someone will grow weak! If you resurrect your mother, someone will die!"

"Stop it with the lies, Ladybug!" Hawk Moth exclaimed. "All you speak to him is lies!"

"At least I love him enough to enjoy what time I have with him in the present!"

"You think I haven't done that?! He hasn't had a true laugh since the day his mother passed!"

"That isn't true! I made him laugh that first day of school!"

"You only speak more lies, girl."

"Adrien…" Marinette's voice was soft from behind him, but almost at the verge of breaking as well, almost as though…

 _She was crying._

He could feel her forehead rest upon his back, but the arms around him never loosened their soft, loving grip.

"M-Mari…?"

"I-I'm sorry." She hiccuped. "If- If I had known-"

"Silence!" Hawk Moth slammed his sword against the wall behind him, and both Marinette and Adrien winced. "You lying wretch!"

"Adrien, Chaton…" Marinette held onto him impossibly tighter. "Who-Whoever you choose… whatever choice you make, no matter what…"

" _I will always love you."_

"Make a choice, my son." Hawk Moth said in a low, slightly threatening voice. "And be sure to choose wisely."

Adrien swallowed, his mind thinking at speeds it had never thought at before.

He was placed before the ultimate choice.

If he chose his father, he would betray Maribug, betray Paris, betray whoever the sacrifice was, betray Plagg… but his mother would be back. They'd be a happy little family again, just like it used to be.

He'd finally have his father's approval. His acceptance- his pride. He could imagine standing on the beach, staring off into the sunset. His mother would have her arms wrapped around him, and his father would place a hand on his shoulder. He'd look up at them and smile, and they'd smile back, and he knew that he was loved.

But the guilt would Plague him like the smell of Plagg's cheese. Betrayal was never something that he ever wanted to do… but he would be doing that either way, wouldn't he?

If he chose Maribug, Ladynette, (he had sooooo many nicknames for her now, his scrambled mind realized) then he would be betraying his own family. His father would only look at him in scorn, curse the ground he walked on. He would never be able to see his parents loving smiles as they watched the sunset.

But…

He could imagine a different scene. One that made his heart thud just as much as the prior one.

Little children running around, giggling and squealing as they rushed through the waves. The warm body of his lady, his Princess, tucked into his side, giggling at the little one's antics. She'd plant a kiss on his cheek, whisper a loving word into his ear, and he'd tease her back. Now that he knew who she was, he could also see visiting her parent's bakery- the warm welcome and the loving looks from parents that weren't his own and had no reason to show him any love, but did anyway.

He and Tom would pun while Maribug groaned and Sabine rolled her eyes in amusement. He'd race across the rooftops with the love of his life by his side, not a care in the world and no akumas to interrupt them.

If he chose his father, Ladynette had said that she would still love him, but how could he ever look her in the eye again? Or Nino's? Or Alya's, Tom's, Sabine's, Chloe's, Kim's, Alex's, Rose's, Juleka's, Nathaniel's, Mylene's, Ivan's, Max's, and Sabrina's?

If he chose Maribug, he knew his father would never forgive him, but he would still love him.

Right?

 _Father._

 _Marinette._

 _Hawk Moth._

 _Ladybug._

In the end, it didn't come down to what his life would be like.

It didn't come down to who he would prefer more.

Like most things in his life, it came down to the harsh, cold truth.

"Father…" Adrien coughed, staring his father in the eye. The steely blue/grey orbs stared at him in expectation- daring him to choose the other option, to not choose him.

"Marinette…" Adrien looked over his shoulder to see Marinette behind him, just as bloody and bruised as he was, but staring at him lovingly with those beautiful, kind, bluebell blue eyes- ready to accept whatever choice he chose.

"I…" Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, hands fisting by his side.

"I…" He clenched his teeth.

He needed something- _anything_ to help him make the right choice for this very moment.

"Remember your mother, Adrien." Hawk Moth said softly.

Adrien's eyes snapped open.

"Mother…"

"Yes. We can get her back, Adrien. We can see her again-"

"Mother, she… she would…" Adrien's voice cracked, tears running down his face as he remembered her soft green eyes and warm embrace.

He missed her.

Silence reigned throughout the room. Adrien took a shaky breath, and then took a step toward Hawk Moth. Marinette's arms limply fell away, leaving him to stand before his father.

Alone.

Then, he took another step.

And another.

He looked up. Gabriel had a maniac smirk on his face, gloating with the fact that he had won. He was now right in front of him- staring into the eyes of his only immediate family left.

"Mother… she…"

" _She wouldn't want this."_

Gabriel blinked, aghast at the words Adrien had whispered in a broken, submissive voice. A voice full of pain and longing, a voice that Gabriel had never heard come from his son before.

And then, with cat-like reflexes that only the holder of the cat miraculous could have, Adrien snatched his father's Miraculous off of his shirt and threw it to Marinette blindly. Marinette caught it with ease, transforming into Ladybug a second later, Tikki having eaten some of Marinette's extra cookies.

"No… No! No no no no no! This wasn't meant to be!" Gabriel exclaimed, taking several steps backward. Adrien winced and turned around to look at his father, who glared at him with hatred. "How?! How could you betray me- your mother?!"

"Sh-She wouldn't want this!" Adrien replied back weakly, wilting under his father's gaze. "I-If she did some back to life, she would be disappointed that we stooped so low!"

"Why you-" Gabriel lunged at Adrien, but a yoyo-string wrapped around him and pulled him away. Adrien could only watch, guilt seeping through his entire being as his father struggled against the indestructible string.

"Adrien…" Adrien couldn't bring his gaze off of his struggling father, so Ladybug wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"It's o-okay." She soothed, running a hand through his hair the way she always did when he needed comfort. She sniffed, holding back her hiccups.

"P-Princess…"

"It's-s o-o-okay. Everyth-thing will b-be alright. I-It has to b-be." Marinette sniffed again, holding onto him tighter, her body shaking.

"I-I'm sorry." He could feel the tears running down her cheeks, probing his own tears to fall as well as she spoke. "I-I wish that-that it d-d-didn't have to b-be this way, Adrien. If, if I c-could ha-have made it diff-fferent, I would. You- You know th-that, right?"

Numbly, Adrien nodded, hugging her back slowly.

"I-I love you, Chatrien." Ladybug sniffed, hugging him tighter. Then she froze. "I-I mean Adrior. No-No, I mean-"

"I-I know what you mean, M-Maribug." Adrien laughed slightly- that was just such a _Marinette_ thing. "Ladynette… no, I-I'll figure it out later." He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, the smile growing timidly on his face as his whole body shook, the shock fading as reality set in.

 _He had chosen._

"I-I love you-u too."


End file.
